The threat of carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria in a Middle East region

ABSTRACT The worldwide distribution of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) has become a global concern, particularly in countries where antibiotic prescription is not tightly regulated. However, knowledge of the genomic aspects of CRAB from many parts of the world is still limited. Here, 50 carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates recovered at a single hospital in Tehran, Iran, during several outbreaks in 2012 and 2013 were found to be resistant to multiple antibiotics. They were examined using PCR mapping and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). All Iranian strains belonged to sequence type 328 in the Institut Pasteur MLST scheme (ST328IP), a single-locus variant of ST81IP, and all Iranian strains contained two carbapenem resistance genes, oxa23 and oxa24. The oxa23 gene is in the transposon Tn2006 in AbaR4, which interrupts the chromosomal comM gene. Phylogenetic analysis using whole-genome sequence (WGS) data for 9 isolates showed that they belonged to the same clade, designated the ST81/ST328 clade, within lineage 2 of global clone 1 (GC1). However, there were two groups that included either KL13 or KL18 at the K locus (KL) for capsular polysaccharide synthesis and either a tet39 or an aadB resistance gene, respectively. The genetic context of the resistance genes was determined, and the oxa24 (OXA-72 variant) and tet39 (tetracycline resistance) genes were each in a pdif module in different plasmids. The aadB gene cassette (which encodes gentamicin, kanamycin, and tobramycin resistance) was harbored by pRAY*, and the aphA6 gene (which encodes amikacin resistance) and sul2 gene (which encodes sulfamethoxazole resistance) were each harbored by a different plasmid. The sequences obtained here will underpin future studies of GC1 CRAB strains from the Middle East region. IMPORTANCE Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strains are among the most critical antibiotic-resistant bacteria causing hospital-acquired infections and treatment failures. The global spread of two clones has been responsible for the bulk of the resistance, in particular, carbapenem resistance. However, there is a substantial gap in our knowledge of which clones and which specific lineages within each clone are circulating in many parts of the world, including Africa and the Middle East region. This is the first genomic analysis of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii strains from Iran. All the isolates, from a single hospital, belonged to lineage 2 of global clone 1 (GC1) but fell into two groups distinguished by genes in the locus for capsule biosynthesis. The analysis suggests a potential origin of multiply antibiotic-resistant lineage 2 in the Middle East region and highlights the ongoing evolution of carbapenem-resistant GC1 A. baumannii strains. It will enhance future studies on the local and global GC1 population structure.

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In Quest of a Second Boom

Contemporary Arab Affairs ◽

10.1525/caa.2018.000015 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (1-2) ◽

pp. 257-278 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shirzad Azad

Keyword(s):

Foreign Policy ◽

Middle East ◽

Crucial Role ◽

Gulf Cooperation Council ◽

East Region ◽

Personal Motivation ◽

Policy Measures ◽

The Republic ◽

Middle East Region ◽

Different Parts

In spite of her troubled presidency at home and premature, ignominious exit from power, Park Geun-hye made serious attempts to bolster the main direction of the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) foreign policy toward the Middle East. A collaborative drive for accomplishing a new momentous boom was by and large a dominant and recurring theme in the Park government’s overall approach to the region. Park enjoyed both personal motivation as well as politico-economic justifications to push for such arduous yet potentially viable objective. Although the ROK’s yearning for a second boom in the Middle East was not ultimately accomplished under the Park presidency, nonetheless, the very aspiration played a crucial role in either rekindling or initiating policy measures in South Korea’s orientation toward different parts of a greater Middle East region, extending from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to Morocco.

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Regional and international strategic visions of actors In the Middle East

Tikrit Journal For Political Science ◽

10.25130/poltic.v0i0.180 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 581

Author(s):

Mohammed Moazaz Iskandar Al - Hadithi

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

East Region ◽

Middle East Region

The Middle East region is of great importance in the strategic realization of regional and international actors. Therefore, the hypothesis that the research tries to prove is that the Middle East region is of great strategic importance due to the set of constituents, whether civilizational, economic or geopolitical. The emergence of different strategic visions, whether regional or international actors in the region.

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US and Russian policies and strategies in the Middle East: Iraq and Syria as a model

Tikrit Journal For Political Science ◽

10.25130/poltic.v0i0.165 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 220

Author(s):

Esraa Aladdin Noori ◽

Nasser Zain AlAbidine Ahmed

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

East Asia ◽

Balance Of Power ◽

Western World ◽

International Conflicts ◽

The South ◽

The West ◽

The North ◽

East Region ◽

Middle East Region

The Russian-American relations have undergone many stages of conflict and competition over cooperation that have left their mark on the international balance of power in the Middle East. The Iraqi and Syrian crises are a detailed development in the Middle East region. The Middle East region has allowed some regional and international conflicts to intensify, with the expansion of the geopolitical circle, which, if applied strategically to the Middle East region, covers the area between Afghanistan and East Asia, From the north to the Maghreb to the west and to the Sudan and the Greater Sahara to the south, its strategic importance will seem clear. It is the main lifeline of the Western world.

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Turkey’s foreign policy priorities in the Middle East and Afghanistan

OOO Zhurnal Voprosy Istorii ◽

10.31166/voprosyistorii202010statyi59 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 (10-3) ◽

pp. 228-237

Author(s):

Marina Shpakovskaya ◽

Oleg Barnashov ◽

Arian Mohammad Hassan Shershah ◽

Asadullah Noori ◽

Mosa Ziauddin Ahmad

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Foreign Policy ◽

Middle East ◽

The United States ◽

Turkish Foreign Policy ◽

Security Issues ◽

New Approaches ◽

East Region ◽

History Of ◽

Middle East Region

The article discusses the features and main approaches of Turkish foreign policy in the Middle East. Particular attention is paid to the history of the development of Turkish-American relations. The causes of the contradictions between Turkey and the United States on the security issues of the Middle East region are analyzed. At the same time, the commonality of the approaches of both countries in countering radical terrorism in the territories adjacent to Turkey is noted. The article also discusses the priority areas of Turkish foreign policy, new approaches and technologies in the first decade of the XXI century.

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